


Boomerangs

by Zaker04



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Can't get enough of these two lesbians, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Is Dannie the ultimate wingman?, Or is it Abby?, We'll see where this one goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-16 01:47:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15426363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaker04/pseuds/Zaker04
Summary: We are two people who always stray away from each other like boomerangs but never stay that way—again, like boomerangs. It's like we're always in motion; you fling me out and the moment I come back, you're gone. But when the world is at rest, I come back to you, and you come back to me.





	1. Out of Place

"Another one. And make it a double." 

 

"Double, coming right up." 

 

Dannie took the whiskey glass from the table, poured a generous double shot, and passed it back to the woman slumped over the bar. 

 

"Hey, don't ya think it's time to go home?" 

 

Carol flashed him a tipsy smile. 

 

"You keep saying that, yet you keep on refilling my glass, Dannie boy." 

 

Dannie chuckled. "You know I'm just here to give ya what you want, Mrs. Aird." 

 

"Ugh, you bartenders and your mindless flirting. It's gonna take a toll on you someday, you'll see." Carol winked. 

 

"Oh, come on, it's just some light conversation. Can't help it that I ooze charisma." Dannie quipped. 

 

Carol rolled her eyes and took a sip of her whiskey. _This is starting to taste more and more like water._ When a $12.00 glass of whiskey was starting to taste like some cheap, watered down grape scotch, that was usually Carol's cue to go. She downed her drink and looked around. 

 

The bar itself wasn't dingy. No, it was actually kind of cozy. With its high backed booths and big round tables, it wasn't as plush and fancy as those bars upstate, but it was nice in it's own accord. It was the kind of bars people go to after their 9-5 jobs before they go home and feed their cat. Not trashy, but not fancy either. 

 

"Ya know Mrs. Aird, I've been meaning to ask you. Why'd ya keep comin' back here? This ain't really your scene, ya know?" Dannie put down his rag on the shelf and looked at Carol. The woman radiated class. With her coat that was most likely worth more than Dannie's paycheck for a year, and her purse that probably costs more than his rent, Carol positively stuck out like a sore thumb. She belonged in some upscale club in the heart of New York City, not in some half-hidden Irish pub downtown. He looked around. There were only a handful of people left at the bar. It was 1:36 in the morning, 24 minutes before the last call. She'd been here since 9:30. 

 

Carol looked at her glass. _Why did she keep coming back?_ It had been 14 months since she first came here. 14 months since she first saw her. And now... She had just started coming back six weeks ago. 

 

Dannie looked at the woman in front of him. Carol was beautiful, sure. No one would argue with him on that. But seeing her here every other night, he was starting to see a certain sadness to her. Some kind of melancholia. He'd been working at the bar for almost half a year now, and he'd seen Carol more times in the expanse of six weeks than his regular customers for the past half year. _How can someone so beautiful be so sad?_ He heard Carol sigh defeatedly. 

 

"I don't know, Dannie. But if she ever comes back, she knows where to find me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first time showing other people my work. Please feel free to comment and leave some feedback on how to improve my writing. We'll see how this one goes. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> -Z


	2. No Promises

"Oh wow. She's pretty hot." 

 

"Who?"

 

"Her." Abby pointed at the TV screen. Being new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she still has trouble keeping track of all the names of the characters. After two Iron Man movies (the third one was shit), two Thor movies, and Abby calling Black Widow "Kim Possible" multiple times, they were at their last one: Thor: Ragnarok. Captain America will have to wait until tomorrow. 

 

Therese cocked her head. "Hela?" 

 

"Oh, is that her name? Yeah, she could like, get it." Abby declared, smirking. 

 

"Get what?" 

 

"You know. _It._ " Abby winked at Therese. 

 

"Oh. That. Abby, no offense, but I think you'd give _that_ to anyone." Therese joked. 

 

Abby took a throw pillow and flung it over the other end of the couch. "Cunt." she muttered under her breath. 

 

"Hey, watch it! You're gonna knock the food over." Therese scolded. It was Thai night. God knows it'd be a nightmare to clean those tasty noodles off the furniture. 

 

"You know, I still can't believe you've never watched a single Marvel movie." 

 

Abby rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sorry I was such an uncultured swine before I met you." 

 

"Damn right."

 

They watched the rest of the movie in silence, aside from the occasional "Goddamn look at those collar bones!" and "Step on me, Hela." comments from Abby. 

 

Therese looked at her roommate and smiled to herself. She got lucky. Moving to Melbourne impulsively, she didn't think through the costs of living in the city. Sure, it wasn't as expensive as New York, but she had a job back there. Just as she was about to give up looking at the cheapest one-bedroom apartments, Therese met Abby on the train station. Abby was from Sydney and had to move to Melbourne for work. Maybe it was the way they both awkwardly lugged their suitcases out of the platform, but Abby saw Therese and asked if she had a place to stay. Therese sighed. Something good was bound to happen eventually. 

 

"The fuck you lookin' at?" 

 

Therese hadn't realized she'd been staring at Abby for quite some time. 

 

"Oh, y'know. Just lost in thought." Therese simply said. 

 

"Might've thought you had a thing for me, the way you were staring. You need to get me drunk first, yeah?" 

 

Therese scoffed. "I am not sleeping with you. I do not sleep with someone who hogs the covers." 

 

"Oh honey, you are _not_ sleeping with anyone. It's crazy. We've been flatmates for half a year, and you've never brought anyone home, never stayed the night somewhere else. No mentions of anything resembling a partner. If I had a six-month dry spell, I'd be dead."

 

Therese threw the pillow back at Abby. "Okay, you nympho. I didn't have to know that." 

 

"Seriously though, Ther. No one?" 

 

Therese froze. _No one?_

 

"Still not ready, Ab--"

 

"Right. Blondie." Abby interjected. "Y'know, you can't get over someone if you don't get _under_ someone." 

 

Therese rolled her eyes, but she couldn't contain her smile. She's always thankful for her roommate's ability to lighten up her mood. 

 

Abby scooted over next to Therese and put one arm around her. "Look, I know she was like, the love of your life or something, but just don't close the door on other possibilities, yeah? You give up on people easily, you might miss out on something great." 

 

Therese could only muster a half-hearted nod and a small smile. She couldn't promise Abby anything. 

 

Because what if Carol was waiting for her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe the warm reception the first chapter got! Thank you to everyone. I hope this chapter holds up. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> -Z
> 
>  
> 
> P.S., Cate Blanchett is a goddess whatever role she plays


	3. All of a Sudden

**_14 months ago_**

 

Therese hated the night shifts at the pub. Absolutely hated it. The bathrooms smelled like cat piss and the tables were sticky and there was almost always someone throwing up in the back alley. And she has to clean all of it up. 

 

Manning the bar wasn't that bad, though. When Therese got tired of replacing the urinal cakes in the men's bathroom, she asked her boss if she could get a few shifts working at the bar. To which he responded with an enthusiastic "Yeah. Whatever." 

 

Therese's was tag-teamming with Phil, one of the regular bartenders, during her fourth night behind the bar. She'd been practicing a few mixes she learned from Phil, and she was feeling confident. There's also something about having a barrier between her and the customers that oddly gave her a small sense of security. She could handle it. She knew what was in a gin and tonic. Gin. And tonic. She knew that "on the rocks" actually meant just put the fucking thing on some ice. She knew that virgin drinks are non-alcoholics. She knew a few things. She could handle it. Right? 

 

Right. 

 

The night went on pretty smoothly. Phil handled most of the regular customers since he knew their orders by heart. Therese handled the more mundane orders. Aside from a few Wall Street guys that had tried to flirt with her, it wasn't a bad night. 

 

It was 25 minutes past 1am when Phil got a call from his roommate. 

 

"WHAT!?" He screamed into his phone. "God damn it. Okay. Be there in fifteen." He looked at Therese apologetically. "Hey Belivet, I have to rush out. Leaky pipes. Apartment's flooded." 

 

"No problem, Phil. I can handle this. Go on." 

 

"Thanks. I owe you one. Bye!" He gathered his things from the back office and took off. 

 

Therese looked around. Only a couple of people left. There's a woman slumped over the end of the bar who looked like she passed out three martinis ago. There's a young couple in the corner booth making out. On the opposite corner booth, a middle aged man was typing furiously on his laptop. Two guys in suits were nursing their whiskey colas on the other side of the bar, across the martini woman. Jan, the waitress, was cleaning up tables. 

 

Therese started cleaning up the used glasses. _Not a bad night._ She was mentally counting her tips when she was approached by Jan from behind. 

 

"How was your night?" 

 

Therese smiled politely. "All right, I guess. Getting the hang of it." 

 

Jan hummed amusedly. She eyed Therese up and down. "You look cute in that shirt." She winked at Therese and sauntered off into the back office. 

 

Therese went back to cleaning the glasses. She had learned to be unaffected by Jan's flirtiness. Jan flirted with everyone. Married men, divorced women, even underage kids with a fake ID. It was second nature to her. 

 

"Well, I'm taking off. See ya tomorrow, babe." Jan said with a pouty smile. Therese smiled back. "Drive safe." Only when Jan had exited the bar did Therese realize it was almost 2 am. She looked around. Only the laptop guy and the sleeping woman were left. She approached the guy on the booth. 

 

"Hey, we're closing up in a few minutes." 

 

"Wha- oh. Sorry 'bout that. Totally lost track of time. Heh. Thanks." He packed up his things and left. _Now for the hard part._

 

She went to the back office and picked up her bag, her coat, and her baseball cap. After triple checking everything, she went back to the bar, stowed all the now dry glasses back on the rack, and stood opposite the sleeping woman. She cleared her throat. 

 

"Ehem, um, excuse me, ma'am... It's closing time already." 

 

_Silence._

 

"Hello?" Therese lightly poked the woman's arm. No response. _It's like talking to a fucking corpse._ Therese groaned. She was getting frustrated. She put her hand on the woman's shoulder and lightly shook it. Therese was rewarded with a flinch and a surprisingly deep, guttural moan. The woman's head quickly shot up. 

 

Therese froze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to work out a schedule for the chapters I'm about to post. Hope you guys stick around. Thanks for reading :)
> 
> -Z


	4. Pretty Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I haven't forgotten this story yet! Ya girl's reviewing for her licensure exam though, so it might be a while before I update some more. Hope this one's enough for the meantime. 
> 
> -Z

_It's like I died and went to lesbian heaven._

The woman was, simply put, the single most beautiful thing Therese had ever seen. And she'd been to the fucking Louvre. She's seen countless sunsets, majestic sculptures, fucking Picasso paintings, and yet... She felt her heartbeat rising. Her brain dropped to her stomach. _She's so... Wow._ She couldn't even think of a fucking adjective. No words could ever capture the breathtaking entity in front of her. 

Therese allowed herself a moment to just look at the woman. She was wearing a now-wrinkled dark green jumpsuit, her soft blonde hair slightly mussed from falling asleep, and then there were her eyes. God, her eyes. Therese was sure the woman's eyes were beautiful in their normal state, but seeing her sleepy eyes was just magnificent. 

"W-wh? The fu-? Where-?" The woman tried to say. 

"U-um, sorry to have woken you up, but it's closing time already." Therese managed to stammer out. 

The woman stared at her blankly. 

"Ma'am?" 

Therese waited for a response. The beautiful blonde was as drunk as a skunk. She waited. A beat. Two beats. Nothing. The woman was starting to doze off again. She looked woozy. 

"You want me to call you a cab?" Therese offered. 

The woman nodded, and muttered something incoherent. 

"What was that?" 

"Tw- si-- mad..ave" the woman said again, before slumping back into the bar. 

"Hey. HEY. Don't sleep on me now. Tell me where you live. C'mon." Therese pressed. As hot as this woman was, she was not in the mood to take care of a grown-ass adult. A drunk one, at that. 

"Mmmmmmh." 

Therese sighed in exasperation. "Where's your bag?" she asked the woman. Still burying her face in the bar, she blindly grasped around for her purse and put it on the surface. "-ere." 

Therese opened the Hermes purse and looked for anything that might help her. Wallet? Three different debit cards and four credit cards and no driver's license. No business cards either. Phone? Locked. She found a small Filofax journal and turned it to the information page. _Aha!_ Carolyn Aird. Born 1985. Blood type O negative. Lives all the way up in the upper east side. _Upper east side? Jesus Christ. The fuck's she doing all the way down here?_ Therese put everything back into the purse and slung her backpack over her shoulders. She shook the sleeping goddess awake. 

"Alright, sleeping beauty, let's go home." 

The woman held her arms up as if she were an infant that wanted to be held. Therese bit back a giddy squeal as she moved away from the bar separating them and went to the woman. She grabbed the blonde's purse and slung it over her right shoulder,and reached out to the woman with her left arm. She gripped the woman's waist and suddenly felt all warm inside as she was greeted with a deep, musky, feminine perfume. _For a drunk, she smells really good._ They managed to stand fairly upright, and only then did Therese notice the height difference between them. The woman was a good half-foot taller than her. 

_Oh, sweet baby Jesus here we go._

They shuffled across the pub with difficulty, mostly because the woman let Therese carry all of her weight. When they finally exited the premises, Therese dug around her pocket for the key to lock the front door. The woman saw this as an opportunity to sit down on the filthy curb and look up at her saviour. 

"You're pretty." 

Therese almost dropped her keys. This was the first coherent sentence that she heard from the blonde. She wasn't expecting a rich, deep voice to cut through the silence of the night. She looked down at the woman slumped on the pavement with disbelief. 

"And you're drunk. C'mon." 

Therese flagged down a cab after ten minutes of waiting. She carefully put the woman on the back seat and buckled her up. As she was about to relay the address to the cab driver, Therese stopped for a moment. _I should make sure she gets home safe, right? Right. No ulterior motives, T. You're just being a hospitable employee to a valued customer._ She got in the cab and buckled herself up, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! I appreciate it so much

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first time showing other people my work. Please feel free to comment and leave some feedback on how to improve my writing. We'll see how this one goes. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> -Z


End file.
